{"title":"Say When","description":"\u003cp\u003eSay When was born from a single barrel and a weekend commute. Rachel Silkowski DeAscentiis was working as an assistant winemaker in Lompoc and driving to Los Angeles most Fridays when she decided to make a wine of her own. That first barrel of Pinot Noir, bottled as RASI in 2013, became the seed of a label that now produces some of California's most thoughtful minimal-intervention wines.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRachel grew up in Tustin, California, and discovered winemaking as a high school senior. She studied Agricultural Business Management at Oregon State University, spending summers as an intern at Loring Wine Company before advancing to assistant winemaker there. Her first personal project, RASI, launched in 2013 with just 300 bottles, each labeled individually with actual wine applied to the paper. She met Michel DeAscentiis -- then working as a Creative Director in Los Angeles -- and together they formalized Say When in 2016. The couple divides their time between Lompoc, where the wines are made in a shared facility, and Los Angeles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore on how they farm and work in the cellar in our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/natural-wine-producers-primal-wine\/say-when\"\u003eSay When producer profile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"weird-parties-red-say-when-california-natural-wine","title":"Say When Weird Parties Red 2019","description":"\u003cp\u003eWeird Parties Red is a 67% Grenache Noir, 33% Pinot Noir blend from two distinct Central Coast vineyards. The Grenache comes from Martian Ranch in Los Alamos, a 20-acre Demeter Certified Biodynamic estate on Alisos Canyon Road farmed on shaley clay loam soils locally called 'moon dust,' with a microclimate that runs 10 degrees cooler than the Santa Ynez Valley and 10 degrees warmer than Santa Maria. The Pinot Noir is sourced from Spanish Springs Vineyard in Arroyo Grande, a SIP Certified Sustainable site located roughly 1.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean in San Luis Obispo County, with soils of marine shale, limestone, and sandstone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe grapes were hand-harvested on September 19, 2019, then co-fermented with 21 days of semi-carbonic maceration using native yeast. The wine aged for 7 months in neutral French oak and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. No winemaking additions are confirmed beyond what the process implies; this is a low-intervention production from start to finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWinemaker Rachel Silkowski DeAscentiis operates out of a shared winery space in Lompoc, CA. She trained under Brian Loring at Loring Wine Company, where she worked as assistant winemaker before launching Say When with her husband Michel DeAscentiis in 2016. The Weird Parties label is Say When's designated experimental line, used to explore techniques outside their core varietal wines.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Say When","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36005266325656,"sku":"WHENNOIR19C","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/say-when-weird-parties-grenache-noir-pinot-noir-primal-wine.jpg?v=1780186951"},{"product_id":"when-pinot-noir-say-when-natural-wine","title":"When Pinot Noir 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eSay When's When Pinot Noir 2018 is made from 100% Pinot Noir sourced from Spanish Springs Vineyard in San Luis Obispo County, California. The vineyard sits in Price Canyon, approximately 1.5 to 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean, and holds SIP (Sustainability in Practice) Certified Sustainable status. Soils at the site are stony clay loam over uplifted marine sandstone and shale, and the proximity to the ocean keeps daytime temperatures moderate with rapid cooling at night.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe grapes were hand-harvested on October 12, 2018, fermented with native yeast, and aged 10 months in neutral French oak barrels. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. No additions are documented. Winemaker Rachel Silkowski DeAscentiis produces the wines at a shared facility in Lompoc, California.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the nose, this wine shows earthy and meaty aromas alongside baked black plum and violet. The palate delivers cranberry and raspberry fruit with sagebrush and game notes, and a vanilla-laced finish. The cool, fog-influenced site at Spanish Springs and the long coastal growing season translate directly into firm acidity and restrained fruit weight in the glass.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSay When was officially launched in 2016 by Rachel and Michel DeAscentiis. Rachel trained at Oregon State University and worked as assistant winemaker at Loring Wine Company in Lompoc before starting her own label. The operation sources exclusively from small family-owned vineyards across the Central Coast, working with organic, biodynamic, and regenerative farming operations.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Say When","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39725717717191,"sku":"SAYWWHEN18C","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/say-when-pinot-noir-when-there-wasn_t-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1630820021"},{"product_id":"rasi-pinot-noir-say-when-natural-wine","title":"Say When Rasi Pinot Noir 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eSay When's Rasi is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from a single site: Rancho La Viña, a 35-acre vineyard sitting on a gently sloped mesa at the far southwestern edge of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, roughly 8.3 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Planted in 2005 with Pinot Noir clones 114 and 777, the vineyard's low-fertility sandy loam and clay soils and relentless marine exposure make it one of the coldest Pinot Noir sites in California. Grapes were hand-harvested on October 20, 2018.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the winery, winemaker Rachel DeAscentiis used native fermentation with no commercial yeasts or nutrients, aged the wine for 10 months in neutral French oak, and bottled it unfined and unfiltered. No additions were made beyond minimal sulfur. The approach is hands-off throughout: what is in the bottle reflects the vineyard, the vintage, and little else.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the nose, roasted dark cherry, cardamom, and star anise lead, with a thread of wild blackberry underneath. The palate is plush at first, then baking spice and firm tannins assert themselves, with blistered strawberry and earthy mineral notes carrying through the finish. Classic Sta. Rita Hills structure: high acidity, defined backbone, layered complexity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe wine is produced by Say When, a small label run by Rachel and Michel DeAscentiis out of Lompoc, California. Rachel handles all winemaking; Michel oversees branding and operations. They source fruit from sustainably, organically, and biodynamically farmed vineyards across Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County, and produce every wine themselves in a shared winery space.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Say When","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39725728727239,"sku":"SAYWRASI18C","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/say-when-rasi-pinot-noir-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1618621649"},{"product_id":"weird-parties-white-say-when-wine-natural-wine","title":"Say When Weird Parties White 2019","description":"\u003cp\u003eSay When's Weird Parties White is 100% Grenache Blanc sourced from Martian Ranch, a 102-acre Demeter certified biodynamic estate on Alisos Canyon Road in Los Alamos, Santa Barbara County. The vines are clone 141 on 101-14 rootstock, planted in 2008 under biodynamic consultant guidance. Farming follows lunar and solar calendars with no synthetic inputs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe grapes undergo 19 days of carbonic maceration, a technique that extracts aromatic intensity while preserving freshness and low tannins. After fermentation, the wine ages for 8 months in neutral French oak, adding texture without imparting new wood character.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result is a white wine with an unusually aromatic profile: apricot, dried mango, and orange on the nose that give way to notes of creme brulee and candied ginger spice. The carbonic maceration process amplifies the grape's natural perfume in a way that conventional white winemaking does not.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSay When is a husband-and-wife project based in Lompoc, California. Rachel DeAscentiis handles winemaking, having trained at Loring Wine Company and studied Agricultural Business at Oregon State University. Michel DeAscentiis leads design and creative direction. They produce all wines in a shared winery facility in Lompoc from organically and biodynamically farmed Central Coast vineyards.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Say When","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40677201969351,"sku":"WHENBLAN19C","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/say-when-weird-parties-grenache-blanc-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1780185871"},{"product_id":"over-easy-piquette-say-when-natural-wine","title":"Say When Over Easy Piquette 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eOver Easy Piquette is made from the Grenache Blanc pomace left over after carbonic maceration for Say When's skin-contact white. The spent skins were rehydrated for 3 days and punched down daily, then pressed a second time. A portion of fresh Grenache Blanc juice was added to restart native fermentation. The wine was bottled at 1 Brix and disgorged after 6 months in bottle with no sulfur added at any stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe grapes come from Martian Ranch, a 20-acre Demeter-certified biodynamic estate on Alisos Canyon Road near Los Alamos in Santa Barbara County. Martian Ranch was purchased in 2006, planted in 2008 under the guidance of biodynamic consultant Philippe Armenier, and received full Demeter certification in 2014. The Grenache Blanc block is planted to clone 141 on 101-14 rootstock. Soils at Martian Ranch are primarily Paso Robles Formation: a gravelly, shale-pebble matrix with sand and clay, offering excellent drainage and moderate vine vigor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePiquette is a low-alcohol beverage made from the second pressing of pomace. It is lighter than conventional wine both in alcohol and body, with a natural light effervescence from in-bottle conditioning. The result here is a hazy, pale straw wine with fine, fleeting bubbles. Aromas lean toward orange blossom and guava, with a palate of white peach, mango, and a faint salinity. It drinks more like a sparkling wine spritzer than a still white, and finishes clean and dry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSay When produces all wines at a shared winery in Lompoc, California. As of 2020, all their vineyard sources are farmed using organic, biodynamic, or regenerative organic practices. Every wine undergoes native fermentation with no commercial yeasts, nutrients, or additives beyond occasional sulfur use — which is absent entirely in this bottling.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Say When","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40677573198023,"sku":"SAYWOVER20C","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/say-when-over-easy-piquette-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1780185868"},{"product_id":"stipa-graciano-rose-say-when-natural-wine","title":"Say When Stipa Graciano Rosé 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eStipa is 100% Graciano sourced from the Ibarra-Young Vineyard in the Los Olivos District AVA, Santa Barbara County. The Graciano block was planted in the late 1990s as a suitcase clone — own-rooted, farmed organically since inception, and under regenerative organic management. The wine is named for Michel DeAscentiis's grandmother, Rose Stipa.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrapes were foot-trodden and left on the skins for one hour before pressing. Fermentation proceeded with native yeasts only. The wine aged eight months in neutral French oak, then was bottled unfined and unfiltered at 12% ABV. No additions were made beyond a small amount of sulfur at bottling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGraciano is a high-acid Spanish variety rarely grown in California, and at Ibarra-Young it consistently produces fruit with sharp natural acidity — a key reason it is directed to rosé rather than red production. The short maceration pulls color and a touch of tannin from the skins without extracting heavy phenolics, keeping the wine fresh and vinous.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the palate, the wine delivers strawberry and cranberry fruit with herbal undertones and a firm, dry finish driven by Graciano's natural acidity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Say When","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40682991583431,"sku":"WHENSTIP19C","price":33.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/say-when-stipa-rose-graciano-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1780185862"}],"url":"https:\/\/primalwine.com\/collections\/say-when.oembed","provider":"Primal Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}